Fastening-inserting machine



Sept. 17, 1940. J, T. LANCASTER ,8

FASTENING-INSERTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 7) 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet l wfA/vg/vTUQ 'r M W M $4M J. T. LANCASTER FASTENING-INSERTING MACHINE Sept. 17,1940.

Filed Nov. 7, 1939 s sheets-sn er 2 //v vgA/ mm 2 7: 51M

Sept. 17, 11940.

,1. T. LANCASTER FASTENING-INSERTINQ MACHINE;

Filed Nov. '7, 1939.-

Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Sept. 17, 1940 UNITED STATES FASTENING-INSERTINGMACHINE John '1". Lancaster, Newton, Mass., assignor to United ShoeMachinery Corporation, Borough of Flemington, N. J], a corporation ofNew Jersey Application November 7, 1939, Serial N 0. 303,246

20 Claims.

, My invention relates to machines by which nails or other fasteningsmay be inserted for securing work-pieces. An example of work for whichthe machine is well adapted is the attachment of heels to shoes. cernedespecially with the delivering of the fastenings to the support for thework in preparation for the inserting operation.

In Letters Patent of the United States No. '1,'785,928,' Benjamin,December 23, 1930, is disclosed a heel-attaching machine, in which nailsare delivered to the passages in a work-supporting jack by a slidecarrying a nail-holding block .and arranged to reciprocate in themachineframe between a nail-receiving position and a I position in whichthe nails are delivered to the jack. The slide is driven throughslipping clutch mechanism, which urges it against stops at its oppositeextremes of travel. The discharge of the nails into the support from theblock is controlled by a retaining shutter, normally closed by a springand operated during the travel of the load- -er-block by its contactwith a relatively fixed point. It is an object of my invention toincrease, by the use of simple mechanism, the

smoothness and positiveness of action of an organization of thischaracter.

As a feature by which this end is gained, my improved loading orfastening-transferring mechanism combines with a reciprocatory carrierfor fastenings, a rotatable shaft, a cam normally 1 loose upon the shaftand connected to the carrier to' control its reciprocation constantly,clutch -mechanism for causing the connection of the -35 cam to theshaft, and a member movable by the operator to govern the clutchmechanism. By this means, upon engagement of the clutch by the operator,the cam mechanism advances and retracts the transferring mechanism withexactly the desired timingjwholly without shock tending to displace thefastenings, and minimizing Wear which would cause variable action. Inthe particular form of the invention herein disclosed, the clutchmechanism includes a latch movable upon the cam to either free or engagea driving connection to the shaft, this clutch being governed by itsengagement with a cam upon a lever movable by the operator.

As another feature of the invention a member, by which fastenings foruse in an inserting machine may be retained temporarily or released asto their relation to passages in a fastening-car- 'rier, is moved underthe power of the machine when the carrier is at rest withits passagesregistering with those in the. work-support of the ma- The invention isconpresented to the passages in the support. 1 power-movement of theretaining member is prefchine. Because of this complete freedom frommovement at the time of fastening-delivery, the j two sets of passagesmay be in exact alinement during the entire delivery-period, and thereis no opportunity for the fastenings to be incorrectly 5 The erablyeffected by a rotatable cam. I have illustrated herein a slide guided toreciprocate in the frame of the machine and carrying a loaderblockhaving nail-receiving passages, a slide guided upon the loader-slide andprovided with a shutter controlling the loader-block-passages, and arotatable cam acting upon the shutter-slide through a lever fulcrumedupon the frame. There are thus furnished, in connection with the featurepreviously mentioned, cams for actuating f both the carrier or loaderand the retaining member or shutter, which cams may be in the form ofgrooves in a disk. This disk may be normally 'loose upon a rotatableshaft and controlled by the operator through clutch mechanism, asalready indicated.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 shows a top plan view of one form of my :5

, invention as it would be applied to a heel-attaching machine;

Fig. 2, a front elevation thereof, including the jack of the machine;

Fig. 3, a side elevation of the parts of Fig. 2, with the addition of awork-holddown co-operating with the jack;

Fig. 4, a sectional detail of the clutch mechanism on the line IVIV ofFig. 1; and

Fig. 5, a detail in perspective of the latch-controlling cam upon thestarting lever.

There appears in the drawings, elements. of the nail-transferring orloading mechanism of a heelattaching machine, which machine mayresemble, generally, that of the previously mentioned patent. Theseelements include a frame-column 10, at the front of which is mounted awork-supporting jack l2, having a set of vertical passages I4 containingreciprocatory drivers l6. To these passages is to be delivered a load ofnails N, the heads of which will rest upon the upper ends of the driversin preparation for being inserted through the heel-seat of a jacked shoeS to secure thereto a heel H. During this operation, abutments I8,carried by a vertically movable clamping head, hold the Work againstupward displacement under the influence of the nail-driving force.Before the jacking of the shoe, delivery of the nails to the passages I4is made by a loaderblock secured at the forward extremity of a .55

slide 22, guided in the column ID for horizontal reciprocation. Thenails are carried in vertical passages 24 in the block and retained by ashutter 26 movable against the lower surface of said block. The shutteris normally held across the block-passages, but may be moved frombeneath the block for the delivery of the contained nails. To theblock-passages nails are supplied, when the block is in its rearwardposition, from an unillustrated distributor, through tubes 28 and afoot-plate 30, the discharge being controlled by the customaryperforated shutter 32 slidable beneath the foot-plate. This shutter 32may be moved to bring the openings through it into alinement with thefoot-plate-passages, so nails may fall into the loader-block-passages,by such a controlling mechanism as that of Letters Patent of the UnitedStates No. 1,947,770, MacKenzie, February 20, 1934. To transfer the loadof nails in the block 20 to the passages M of the jack, the slide 22 isreciprocated under the control of an operator-actuated lever 34, throughgearing G, later to be described in detail, from a shaft 36 journaledhorizontally across the frame-column. The shaft is driven continuallyfrom the main power-shaft of the machine by way of a vertical shaft 38,worm-gearing 40, a horizontal shaft 42 and worm-gearing 34.

Now considering the elements more closely relating to this invention,the gearing G includes .a rack 55 formed at the under Side of theloaderslide 22 and having meshing with it a gear 52, fast upon oneextremity of a sleeve 5% rotatable about the shaft 36. At the oppositeend of the sleeve a pinion 56 is secured, this meshing with gear-segment58 free to turn about a spindle 68, which is mounted to oscillate uponthe column ii]. Rotatable upon the outer side of the segment is a roll62 lying in a cam-groove 66, formed in a disk 66 surrounding the shaft36. The contour of the groove is preferably such, that from its restingposition beneath the foot-plate 39, the :block 26 with its load of nailswill be advanced rapidly until it approaches the top of the jack i 2.Then its movement is slowed, and it is brought to rest with its passages2 in registration with the jack-passages i l and is held until thecontained load of nails has been discharged into said jack-passages.This having been accomplished, the cam-groove reverses the travel of theloader-block, so it is rapidly returned to it initial position.

The shutter 26 of the loader-block is reciprocated in the propertime-relation tothe block movement, by means which will now bedescribed. This shutter has a rearward extension H1 arranged to slide ina longitudinal groove in the loader-slide 22. When the loader-block isbeneath the foot-plate 39 with its passages 25 registering with thenail-supplying passages in the foot-plate, the shutter 32 of which hasbeen opened as previously indicated, the shutter 26 of the loader-blockis closed by its engagement with a stop-screw l2 threaded horizontallythrough the frame. This position of the shutter is more definitelydetermined by a plunger i4, movable vertically in the loader-slide 22and forced up by a leaf-spring i6 engaging itslower end. With theshutter in its initial nail-retaining relation, the rounded upper end ofthe plunger enters a depression it in the shutter-slide it. Thislatching means willyield, when the slide it is moved positively, torelease the nails. A load of nails is thu received and temporarilyretained in the block-passages at the opposite extreme of m6 formed uponthe lever.

travel of the loader-block, when it has come to rest under the controlof the cam-groove 64 with its passages vertically alined with thejack-passages M. The shutter 26 is moved in the follow-' ing manner tocause the opening of the blockpassages. The spindle El] has secured toits inner extremity an arm 80, which at its free end is pivoted to onearm of a bell-crank-lever 82 turning upon a fixed fulcrum 84. The otherarm of the bell-crank extends downwardly to a point just above theshutter-slide '50, where it has a lateral projection 86 lying above saidslide and in horizontal alinement with an upward projection 88therefrom. Fast upon the outer end of the spindle BB is an arm 90extending over the periphery of the disk 66 and then downwardly,carrying at its inner side a roll 82 lying in a camgroove 94 in thedisk. This groove is so formed that, while the loader-block is travelingunder the influence of the cam-groove 64, the projection 86 will remaininactive. When, however,

' the loader-block has arrived over the jack i2 and is held stationaryby'the cam-groove 64, the groove M, through the arms 9% and 80, actsupon the lever 82 to urge its projection 86 against theshutter-slide-projection 88, which ha reached a point adjacent to saidprojection 86. The shutter-slide is thereby moved to the left, as viewedin Fig. 3'of the drawings, and thus held.

The movement is sufficient to carry it from beneath all theblock-passages, whatever may be the nailing design. The load of nails,therefore, is released to fall into the jack-passages M.

To initiate an operating cycle of the loading mechanism, the operatordepresses a handpad 98 of the lever 3t. This lever moves about itsfulcrum liw'frorn a raised position, normally maintained by atension-spring N12 to an extent permitted by contact with the'shaft 36of the upper end of a slot Hit in the. wall of a casing The descent ofthe lever causes clutch mechanism C (Fig. 4) to join the constantlyrotating shaft 36 to the cam-disk 66. When the lever 34 is raised by thespring 882 to a point determined by engagement of the lower extremity ofthe slot QM with the shaft, a cam-face H0 (Fig. 5) upon a disk H2,attached to the inner face of the lever-casing, so holds a latchingmember i M, that, through a space H6 in it, a projection H8 secured tothe shaft'36 may revolve freely. The latch is guided to slidehorizontally in the hub of the cam-disk; At the outer end of thelatch-is a surface I20, which,- by its contact with thecam-surface H0,determines the position of the space 5 I6, this contact being maintainedby an expansion-spring I22 seated in a bore in the disk-hub and bearingagainst the latch. The normal relation of'the disk 66, and itsrespective loader-actuating and by engagement of the side wall of thelatch adjacent to the surface HQ with a radial wall I24, which projectsfrom the highest or resting point of the cam-surface H6. limited radialextent, that upon depression of the hand-lever said wall leaves thelatch H4, so the latter is urged by its spring I22 against the lowportion of the cam-surface Hi]; This carries the latch-space i 56 awayfrom the shaftprojection 5 I8, and, as said projection is revolved bythe shaft, it strikes the side wall of the latch and turns the cam-diskthrough 360. Thi movement is stopped when the high point of the The wallE24 is of such shutter-actuating grooves 64 and 94, is fixed cam-surfaceHi] again has so located the latch I tremity of which is joined to alever 1,32.

that the shaft-projection travels through. the latch-space.

To outline briefly the operation of my improved loading mechanism forfastening-inserting machines, there having been accomplished theattachment of a heel H to a shoe S by a load of nails N, previouslydelivered to the jackpassages M, the operator removes the work from thejack and depresses the pad 98 of the lever 34 in a direction parallel tothe plane of rotation of the cam-disk 66. By the action of the lever-cammember H2 upon the latch H4 of the clutch mechanism C, the cam-disk iscaused to be driven through a complete turn by the constantly rotatingshaft 36. In the resting position of the disk, its cam-groove 64, by itsaction upon the gearing G, is holding the loader-block with its passages24 alined with the passages in the foot-plate 30. The shutter 32of thefootplate has been opened and a load of nails, which it supported,delivered to the loader-block-passages. The picker mechanism of thedistributor of the heel-attachingmachine may be prepared for supplyingeach load of nails tothe foot-plate through the tubes 28, by thedownward movement of a rod 130, the lower ex- This lever is shown asfulcrumed about the spindle 60 and carries a roll I34 contacting withtheperiphery of a cam I36 fast upon the sleeve 54. Thelo'ader-block-shutter 26 is at this time closed because of itsengagement with the stopscrew #2. As the cam-disk 66 rotates, the effectof the groove 64 is to start the forward travel of the loader-block,accelerate it to a relatively high speed, then reduce it as itapproaches the jack l2, and bring it to a full stop with its passages inregistration with the jack-passages l4. During this advance of theloader-block, the projection 36 upon the lever 82, controlled by thecam-groove 94, is held stationary, but, when the loader-block is at restabove the jack and the shutter-slide-projection 88 is in proximity tothe lever-projection 86, the groove 94 moves said lever-projectionagainst the slide-projection, thereby opening the shutter to allow thenails N to drop into the jack-passages. Finally, the cam-groove 64effects the rapid return of the loader-block to its initial position,and the shutter is closed as it contacts with the stop-screw l2 and isretained against accidental displacement by engagement with itsslide-depression 78 of the plunger 14. After actuation of the hand-lever34 it was at once freed by the operator, and when the cam-disk has madeits full turn the lever-cam-surface H so shifts the latch H4 thatthecam-disk 66 is disconnected from the driving shaft and stopped in apredetermined position, with the loading mechanism in its normalrelation ready for the succeeding cycle.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Fastening-transferring mechanism comprising a reciprocatoryfastening-carrier, a rotatable shaft, a cam normally loose upon theshaft and connected to the carrier to control its reciprocationconstantly, clutch mechanism for causing the rotation of the cam withthe shaft, and a member movable by the operator to govern the clutchmechanism.

2. Fastening-transferring mechanism comprising a reciprocatoryfastening-carrier, a rotatable shaft, a cam normally loose upon theshaft and connected to the carrier to control for causing the rotationof the cam with the shaft, and ,a lever movable by the. operator andprovided with a cam for governing the clutch mechanism. 7

3. Fastening-transferring mechanism comprising a reciprocatoryfastening-carrier, a rotatable shaft having a projection, a cam normallyloose upon the shaft and connected to the carrier to control itsreciprocation constantly, a latchmovable upon a cam to free or engagethe shaft-projection, and a member movable by the operator to actuatethe latch.

4. Fastening-transferring mechanism comprising a reciprocatoryfastening-carrier, a rotatable shaft having a projection, a cam.normally loose upon the shaft and connected to the carrier to control.its reciprocation, a latch. movable upon a cam to free or engage theshaftprojection, and a lever movable by the operator and provided With acam engaging the latch.

- 5.-Nail-loading mechanism comprising a reciprocatory loader-block, arotatable shaft having a projection, a cam normally loose upon the shaftand connected to the carrier to control its reciprocation, a latchslidable upon the cam along the shaft and having a space through Whichtheshaft-projection may pass, and a lever movable in a directionparallel to the plane of rotation of the first cam and provided with acam engaging the latch.

6. In a fastening-inserting machine, fastening-transferring mechanismcomprising a movable carrier having fastening-holding passages, a membermovable upon the carrier to retain fastenings in the passages or releasethem therefrom, and means movable under the power of the machine toactuate the retaining member.

'7. Fastening-transferring mechanism comprising a movable carrier havingfastening-holding passages, a member movable upon the carrier to retainthefastenings in the passages or to releasev them therefrom, and a cammovable to actuate the retaining member.

8. In a fastening-inserting machine, fastening-transferring mechanismcomprising a movable carrier having fastening-holding passages, a membermovable upon the carrier to retain fastenings in the passages or releasethemv therefrom, and a cam rotatable under the power of the machine toactuate the retaining member.

9. Fastening-transferring mechanism comprising a movable carrier havingfastening-holding passages, a member movable upon the carrier to retainthe fastenings in the passages or to release them therefrom, anactuating member into co-operation with which the retaining membermoves, and means for moving the actuating member to cause the release ofthe fastenings from the passages.

10. Nail-loading mechanism comprising a movable loader-block havingnail-holding passages, a nail-retaining shutter movable upon theloaderblock across the ends of the passages and provided with anextension, a member into co-operation with which the extension is movedby the loader-block, and means for moving the member to engage theextension.

11. In a fastening-inserting machine, a worksupport havingfastening-receiving passages, a carrier having fastening-passages andmovable from a fastening-receiving position to a delivering positionwith its passages registering with the passages in the Work-support, anail-retaining member movable across the carrier-passages, and meansmovable to actuate the retaining member and release the fastenings onlywhen the carrier is at rest with its passages in registration with thoseof the work-support.

12. In a fastening-inserting machine, a worksupport havingfastening-receiving passages, a carrier having fastening-passages andmovable from a fastening-receiving position to a delivering positionwith its passages registering with the passages in the work-support, anail-retaining member movable across the carrier-passages, and meansmovable under the power of the machine to actuate the retaining memberand release the fastenings only when the carrier is at rest with itspassages in registration with those of the work-support.

13. In a nailing machine, a work-support having nail-receiving passages,a loader-slide movable from a nail-receiving position to a deliveringposition over the work-support, a shutter-slide movable upon theloader-slide across'the ends of the passages, and a cam movable toactuate the shutter-slide.

14. In a nailing machine,a work-support having nail-receiving passages,a loader-slide movable from a nail-receiving position to a deliveringposition over the work-support, a shutter-slide movable upon theloader-slide across the ends of the passages, a lever into co-operationwith which the shutter-slide moves, and means for oscillating the leverto actuate the slide.

15. In a nailing machine, a work-support having nail-receiving passages,a loader-slide'movable from a nail-receiving position to a deliveringposition over the work-support, a shutter-slide movable upon theloader-slide across the ends of the passages, a lever into co-operationwith which the shutter-slide moves, and a rotatable cam by which thelever is oscillated for engagement with the shutter-slide.

16. In a nailing machine, a frame, a work-support mounted upon the frameand having nailreceiving passages, a slide guided for reciprocation inthe frame, a loader-block mounted upon the slide and havingnail-receiving passages movable thereby into'registration with thesupport-passages, a slide guided in the loader-slide and provided-with ashutter controlling the loader-slidepassages, and a cam rotatable uponthe frame for actuating the shutter-slide.

' 17. In a nailing machine, a frame, a work-support mounted upon theframe and having nailreceiving passages, a slide guided forreciprocation in the frame, a loader-block mounted upon the slide andhaving nail-receiving passages movable thereby into registration withthe support-passages, a slide guided in the loader-slide and providedwith a shutter controlling the loader-slidebeing arranged respectivelyto actuate the carrier and the retaining member.

20. Fastening-transferring mechanism comprising a reciprocatoryfastening-carrier, a reciprocatory fastening-retaining memberco'operating with the carrier, a rotatable shaft, a cam-disk normallyloose upon the shaft and connected to the carrier to control itsreciprocation constantly and the retaining member intermittently, clutchmechanism for causing the rotation of the camdisk with the shaft, and amember movable by the operator to govern the clutch mechanism.

JOHN T. LANCASTER.

